Enterprise servers are used in today's data centers, running various applications such as emails services, database queries, powering search engine operations, database management system (DBMS), customer relationship management (CRM), enterprise resource planning (ERP), or the like. Further, virtualized machines and various other collections computing systems are being used for remote computing, also referred to as cloud computing. All of these services, whether on physical or virtual servers, use a great amount of memory resources, as well as bandwidth. These physical or virtual machines could also be personal computers.
Computing memory systems are generally composed of one or more dynamic random access memory (DRAM) integrated circuits, referred to herein as DRAM devices, which are connected to one or more processors. Multiple DRAM devices may be arranged on a memory module, such as a dual in-line memory module (DIMM). A DIMM includes a series of DRAM devices mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB) and are typically designed for use in personal computers, workstations, servers, or the like. Memory capacity may be limited by the loading of the data query (DQ) bus and the request query (RQ) bus associated with the use of many DRAM devices and DIMMs. Memory modules can have a buffer between the DRAM devices and the system's memory controller to increase the number of DIMMs and therefore increase the memory capacity of the system. For example, a fully buffered DIMM architecture introduces an advanced memory buffer (AMB) between the memory controller and the DRAM devices on the DIMM. The memory controller communicates with the AMB as if the AMB were a memory device, and the AMB communicates with the DRAM devices as if the AMB were a memory controller. The AMB can buffer data, command and address signals. With this architecture, the memory controller does not write to the DRAM devices, rather the AMB writes to the DRAM devices. This architecture introduces latency to the memory request and increases power consumption for the AMB. Registered DIMM (RDIMM) architecture, on the other hand, enables moderate increase in capacity with lower latency by using a buffer between the DRAM modules and the system's memory controller only on the RQ bus. Load reduced DIMM (LRDIMM) architecture uses buffers on both RQ and DQ buses for increased capacity and moderate latency. All these architectures, place less electrical load on the memory controller and allow single systems to remain stable with more memory modules than they would have otherwise. These architectures are often more expensive because of the lower demand on high-capacity as well as the additional components on the DIMM, so it is usually found only in applications where the need for scalability and stability outweighs the need for a low price (servers, for example).